The Albatros D.III was a single-seat biplane used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during the FirstWorld War.It was heavily armed with twin synchronized, forward-firing 7.92 mm LMG 08/15 machine guns and powered by a 180 hp Mercedes6-cylinder inline, water-cooled engine (unusual for the time), and its streamlined radiator, mounted on the top wing, was offset slightly to starboardso that combat damage would not result in scalding water being released over the pilot. The prototype D.III first flew in August 1916 and was quickly recognized for its outstanding maneuverability and rate of climb.Like most fighters, the D.III was prone to spinning.However, its recovery was straightforward, and German aces including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer credited the D.III as being both pleasant and easy to fly.

The Albatros D.V was a fighter aircraft used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family, and the last Albatros fighter to see operational service. The D.V entered service in May 1917 and, like the D.III before it, immediately began experiencing structural failures of the lower wing. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that the D.V was even more prone to wing failures than the D.III. Albatros responded with the D.Va, which featured stronger wing spars, heavier wing ribs, and a reinforced fuselage.

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